DSM placement student Review

The placement was very interesting and gave a great insight into a career in the pharmaceutical industry. My project was new and challenging and I had access to equipment I would never had without the placement. The year went really quickly as so much was crammed into one year including amazing opportunities like a trip to Sweden and to other AstraZeneca sites.

Throughout the placement I never felt like an intern but like a member of the team, included in meetings and having the opportunity to voice my opinions especially during my project where I was able to make key decisions. The team was very helpful taking the time to teach me a variety of techniques and I felt confident in asking scientists outside of my team for help and advice in the lab and for training on new equipment.

My supervisor was very attentive and always willing to aid me in planning experiments and analysing data. There was a good range of people could turn to for help in the rare event that my supervisor was unavailable. The organisers of the placement scheme were also very supportive and easy to contact throughout the scheme.

The work load varied as I was involved mainly in cell culture based work and stem cells are notoriously difficult to predictably culture. This meant I sometimes had less lab time than expected but there was a range of other activities I could be involved in outside of my project and always someone willing to train me in something new. The company made it very easy to visit other departments and branch out so there was always some way to feel productive.

I was involved in a range of projects in a wet lab work role but was also given my own project to work on with just my supervisor. This was a great experience as I could plan my experiments based on my own data and interpretations and present to the group. This independence allowed me to follow the whole process of designing an invitro model from start to finish and was really valuable.

I received training on such a wide range of techniques including those outside of my placement department. I also gained many transferable skills including presentation skills and data processing skills. The placement allowed me to gain as many skills as I wanted to as long as I was willing to ask. The research element of the job was great for putting my degree into perspective and showing the real life applications the modules I take at university have.

The atmosphere was fairly casual, the team would often get together for cake to celebrate birthdays or weddings. This was great for getting to know people and feeling more comfortable in getting involved in meeting discussions. The office was a very easy place to work in and everyone was friendly.

The placement was very well organised and took into account my universities requirements for the year. Although as with any placement unexpected things will happen as projects being dismissed or people in the team moving around or leaving. The company dealt with this well and always ensured students had support and work.

The company invests well in its students and likes to emphasise the importance of personal development. This was shown by the organised trips to other sites including Sweden in order to further develop our understanding of the company and increase the range of jobs and techniques we were exposed to. The company was keen on us doing well and presenting our work in meetings or as postcards.

Very appealing. I would be interested in doing a case study PhD with the company or a Postdoc.

Yes I lived with interns and other intern houses were close. The grad scheme in the company and the large numbers of young scientists/ post docs meant group events were always really fun.

The rent is fairly expensive but was affordable on the salary. Clubs are expensive but I still managed to save this year.

There are some decent clubs in the area; Lolas and Vodka Revs are good for a night out. Cambridge has some cool hole in the wall kind of bars and resturants.

Yes the interns were very social and there were weekly sporting events like touch rugby and netball to get involved in.